I notice it in others, full well knowing I do it myself just as well: confusing the issues around wanting and needing. Like the USB stick issue: I habitually carry one around, just to be able to transfer files from one computer or network to the other. In my line of work, that is a daily challenge. So you could say I need a reliable USB memory stick…..

On the other hand the plain hard fact is, I want one! And it’s nothing difficult or out of the ordinary, for only about 30 euros one can be had: order today, in your mailbox tomorrow! That’s manifestation for you, try doing that with a new mate! Better not, those who can be bought usually come with their very own distinctive challenges in how to deal with them, as most of us do… On the other hand, if you love challenges, be my guest!

But back to the wanting and needing, and the eventual getting. I cannot believe the popular fairy tale going around here, that the Cosmos does not know or care about the difference between wanting and not wanting, or needing and not needing. I figure it knows quite well, even better than all of us. It knows that just like the line between genius and insanity, the line between the Haves and the Have-nots is equally thin. Non-existent even, one might say.

Haves and Have-nots, on the surface it seems like a duality, a simple yes-no question. But there is so much more to it! Are the Haves fundamentally happier than the Have-nots? I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t live one day without a computer. Well, maybe one day….. But on the other hand, I’m a Have-not when it comes to gas-guzzling vehicles. Used to be a Have there too, but when the company went belly-up, so did my lease car. Tough luck, but I wasn’t even disappointed with the few options Life left me in that area: no room to buy my own car, no job close enough to cycle there, so the one thing left was the train. And frankly, that was a blessing in a very peculiar disguise.

No longer did I run the risk of waking up on the emergency lane, no longer did I need to wash the darn thing every week. Instead I just cycled to the station, sat down to talk to my fellow passengers, and got to where I wanted in class. No, not first class, I never did see the added advantage of that. In fact, I even got to prefer second class, because people there are usually a bit more accesible.

Sure, I’d love to drive the Bugatti Veyron one day, which I used in the story of my second novel. But even though I’d be a Have then, I’d be a Nice-to-Have instead of a Must-Have! And that needs to grow. I used to be quite attached to whatever I could call mine. But becoming that polished marble I notice that nowadays I’m way faster to part with stuff, regardless even of whether I still need it. As a result, my home is like some sort of storage space, where we use what we have, and hand over what is still there but no longer necessary.

And that works all ways: the moment you let go, you’ll find others let go too, and sometimes of things you wouldn’t even imagine they would. Heck, it even comes to a point where you have to slow them down, or otherwise your home truly will become a storage space! Like just last night: I went to pick up a second-hand bike at grandma’s for Laura (her bike was stolen), and she and her mate had also stuffed the saddlebags with plenty of groceries, which were aimed at me and Linda. So tonight I’ll be having roasted chicken for dinner, compliments of my ex-in-laws.

But then comes the next level: the moment stuff comes flowing in, you have to decide how to handle it. Generally it is considered bad form if you accept something, and then immediately give it to someone else. People think you do not appreciate their gift. But why won’t we let go of that kind of thinking? Why not trust in the fact that that way, any gift would eventually end up in a place where it is most needed, wanted, and appreciated?

So yes, if you visit me, and notice something you want or need, just ask. It is quite possible that I may let you have it. There’s only a few exceptions to that: I need at least one computer, and I can’t give away my daughters: they are sentient beings, and so can decide for themselves.